e30 Braces

[ethree]

please allow me to shed light on e30 front tower width dimensions
ALWAYS - measure chassis before spending your money
hopefully I will not say anything that will cause forum members to have their feelings hurt and subsequently throw a wobbly or shed tears
these dimensions and install info can be found @MASONENGINEERING.NET
I use the front 2 tower studs for datum width measurments = center to center across the engine bay{ side to side} remove 8mm nuts use 13mm spanner most easy with 2 people the mean average dimension should be APP. 36.200 inches. some chassis I have seen = 36.5 36.1 36.250
there are a fewE30s of very late build that are 1 inch wider
Mr. Ireland uses the large hole for dimensions = vague = I use 2 front the fixing studs = exact
use anti-sieze and 12 to 15 ft.lbs torque on the low strength studs run it a few days and re-torque good luck / good hunting /no permanent damage
JM

Thank you for the insight. I have an 01/1986 build car that has not been in any accidents according to both PO's and carfax. I got the knock-off sparco/IE bar in a trade that was beneficial to both parties so I don't really have any money invested in it. I will try to get out and double check my dimensions tonight and do some more research.

In any case is there any way to get 3/8" inward movement out of the strut towers barring major expense and or potential damage?

[jjmtools]

Mr ethree

Thank you for the insight. I have an 01/1986 build car that has not been in any accidents according to both PO's and carfax. I got the knock-off sparco/IE bar in a trade that was beneficial to both parties so I don't really have any money invested in it. I will try to get out and double check my dimensions tonight and do some more research.

In any case is there any way to get 3/8" inward movement out of the strut towers barring major expense and or potential damage?

If your tower bar is not matching up to your chassis
I would cut the bar in half , make internal sleeve
install onto car as best you can and re-weld properly whilst installed
as correct welding filler wire contains base material strength contributing alloying constiuents ,so as the final repair/ weld zone area should of stronger P.S.I.VALUES than the original bar

[DRTSRFR]

I would try jacking the chassis at different points first. It's amazing how much those towers move.

[DCColegrove]

In any case is there any way to get 3/8" inward movement out of the strut towers barring major expense and or potential damage?

3/8" (10mm) is nothing.

I would try jacking the chassis at different points first. It's amazing how much those towers move.

True /\ /\ /\

Raise the car on a good (level) rack at the jackpoints. let the studs drop to within a few mm of the tower top. Start the nuts on one side, you should be able to muscle the other side on, don't pound on it and shear the fucking studs though (seen that more than once).

For ones way worse than 10mm or 12mm I use a screw jack I customized for the job.

[duodvlhntr]

So this thread got me interested in what exactly goes into the r&d for a brace. I realize that you may not be able to give out specific examples, but then again, E30's aren't your biggest market. So a little might not be too bad. But, what I really wanted to say is, the metal on the shock towers isn't all that thick. So, you may not be able to feel any difference with it on, but at least you won't have bent or disformed shock towers. The best kind of bracing for that would have an extra backing plate that installs inbetween the strut mounting plate and the bottom of the shock tower and then you'd have the strut brace on top. I'm by no means an engineer or physiscist but I do have a pretty good concept on them. Thin metal=bending=loss of consistency, which is the most important thing in a race car. I think someone covered that already though...

[Fair!]

...what I really wanted to say is, the metal on the shock towers isn't all that thick. So, you may not be able to feel any difference with it on, but at least you won't have bent or disformed shock towers.

Exactly, and I think I satted that previously in this thread - the reason we began selling Mason's braces was for this strut tower protection first, and added chassis stiffness second.

The best kind of bracing for that would have an extra backing plate that installs inbetween the strut mounting plate and the bottom of the shock tower and then you'd have the strut brace on top....

You are right, and the E36 M3 had a factory reinforcement plate on the bottom side on certain models - to shore up the weak towers from the bottom. It was contoured to match the strut tower, which means a stamping, which can be expensive to tool up to make. Luckily, most folks that race these with half a brain put camber plates on as one of the first mods. :D With a camber plate on the bottom of the tower you get the same benefit - strong metal on the bottom, and with a strut brace on top, you are then sandwiching the strut tower.

That makes for a great combination: a camber plate gives you (or should, depending on the brand) lower stack-up height than the OEM upper strut mount (for more travel at the same ride height), you get more negative camber travel (and on some 'plates caster adjustment as well), remove a huge rubber bushing that deforms under load (preventing camber loss), you strengthen the strut tower from below + the strut brace strengthens the top of the tower and ties the front of the unibody together, preventing deformation and more loss of camber. A true win win.

In the rear its similar - use a spherical Rear Shock Mount with the rear Mason brace and you sandwich that weak area with metal as well.